Pressure sensors are used in a wide variety of applications in order to sense pressure. Such pressure sensors typically include a transducer that converts the pressure input to an electrical output signal. In some pressure sensors, the transducer is located in a cavity that is filled with a fluid and that is sealed by a diaphragm. Thus, the diaphragm acts as a barrier between the input pressure and the fill fluid. The diaphragm responds to the pressure input and transmits the pressure input through the fill fluid to the transducer. The transducer converts this pressure to the electrical output signal.
The fill fluid used for barrier diaphragm pressure sensors has a very high temperature coefficient of expansion (TCE) compared to the materials, typically stainless steel, forming the enclosure that confines the fill fluid. Therefore, as the pressure sensor is exposed to extreme temperatures, the fill fluid tends to expand more quickly than the enclosure resulting in a plastic deformation of the barrier diaphragm.
The present invention solves this and/or other problems.